From the get go our dishwasher (Model #KUDS02FRSS4) malfunctioned, the door would pop open mid-cycle, and after a while, the door wasn't held closed tight enough to start a cycle, we'd get an error indicated by a flashing LED on the door. We had the dishwasher reparied twice and the same thing happened again and again. In the end, this was dad's solution:
Yes, that is a bungee cord and a piece of lumber used to fool the door sensor into thinking it's closed and to physically keep the door closed through a cycle. Ah, the quality workmanship and pride in your products. KitchenAid/Whirlpool this post is to out you! Wait, there's more....
We also bought a microwave/range hood combo to make more space in the kitchen. We selected (Model #YKHMS155LSS-2) as a microwave it works just fine, it heats quickly and efficiently. As a vent hood it suffers, but, this is an issue inherent with this style of product. What angered me about this appliance was the quality of the finishings and trim. Being over the stove, it gathers grease, grease on stainless steel isn't pretty. When the appliance was just out of warranty (one year), I was wiping the vent grille on the front of the microwave and the clips that hold it on simply broke off. I wasn't being rough, I was wiping it and the cheap plastic clips just let go, looking at the remnants of the clips, there was no strength to them. The chipped corners on the grille are from it repeatedly falling off. Dad finally decided to tape it on. When we sold the house I had no choice but to buy a replacement, final cost? $115, yep to replace that crappy plastic grille was almost 1/4 the cost of a whole new unit.
The fridge (Model #KBFA25ERSS01) Has alwys been noisy, when the fridge first turns on there is a few seconds grumbling from one of the fans before it quiets down. We had a frosting issue in the freezer, which was a combination of user error and design, a popsicle slipped through the basket and was jamming in the runner for the door forcing the door open ever so slightly... One day this past summer it simply stopped cooling. We lost all the food in the freezer and the fridge. After we cleaned it out and reset the thermostats, it seemed to run fine again, but, how can I trust it? What if that had happened if we were away on vacation?
The stove has been fine, as with the Duet washer and dryer. Three out of the six appliances have shown poor workmanship and a lack of reliability, in the case of the dishwasher, it has shown us to be absolute garbage.
Why am I writing this piece? The lack of after warranty care and support we've received from KitchenAid/Whirlpool. I told the last person I spoke to that this shouldn't happen after two repairs and I then asked if I could speak to a manager or someone higher up and was flatly refused. "Everyone will tell you the same thing" I was told. "Our one year warranty is strictly monitored, if it happened to be just out of warranty we might be able to help" was the follow up. I just want to make sure that the few readers I have make an informed decision when choosing their next appliance.
